Lenard McKelvey, also known as Charlamagne tha God from the Breakfast Club radio show, said that he is casting his ballot for California Sen. Kamala Harris and not Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.
During an interview with CNN host Don Lemon, Charlamagne said he was “sick of old white male leadership in government” and described Harris as a “change agent.” Over the summer, Charlamagne jousted with Biden after the Democratic nominee said black voters “ain’t black” if they support Donald Trump over him.
Lemon asked, “Do you think that Kamala Harris on the ticket, do you think Sen. Harris, does that help with black men and women?”
Charlamagne responded, “absolutely.” He added, “When we were pushing for Joe Biden to pick a black woman as his VP, Sen. Harris was who I had in mind. And I’m voting for Kamala Harris. I’ll tell you that in a heartbeat. I’m not necessarily voting for Joe Biden. I’m voting for Sen. Kamala Harris.”
The radio host then showed viewers his ballot and repeated his support for Kamala multiple times.
He continued, “I’m just so tired of old white male leadership in politics. And I can’t speak for all black Americans. Black Americans aren’t monolithic. I’m only speaking for me.” He said, “I’m sick of old white male leadership in government. Trump wants to make America great again. Biden wants to build back better. As a black man, I don’t want to do none of that. Because we know America has never been great for everyone, and when we talk about building back better, it’s like saying we’re trying to return things to normal, but America’s normal hasn’t worked for black people.”
After Biden’s interview with the Breakfast Club, he told CNN Host Dana Bash that he believed Charlamagne was a “wise guy” for asking him if he would return to the program to take additional questions. “It was a mistake, No. 1,” Biden said of his remarks toward black voters who may support Trump. Biden said, “And I was smiling when he asked me the question. I shouldn’t have been such a wise guy with him. He was being a wise guy, and I responded in kind. I shouldn’t have done that. It was a mistake.”
"I'm voting for Kamala Harris … I'm not necessarily voting for Joe Biden," says Charlamagne Tha God (@cthagod), when asked who he's voting for. "…I'm just so tired of … old white male leadership in politics." pic.twitter.com/QFTbTgJUhe
— CNN Tonight (@CNNTonight) October 21, 2020